Feet Slipping on the Bench Press: Why It Happens and How to Plant Them

Leg drive starts at the floor. If your feet slide forward or skate sideways as you push, the drive leaks out before it reaches your upper back, and your setup comes apart. Fixing it is mostly about shoes, floor and foot position.

Why feet slip

• Smooth soles on a smooth floor. Running shoes with worn rubber on polished concrete or plywood platforms.
• Feet too far forward. When the feet are out in front, the drive is mostly horizontal, and the feet slide forward.
• Only the toes in contact without the setup to support it.
• Bench too high for your legs, so you cannot get the foot flat and stable.
• Loose plates or a wobbly surface under the feet.

How to fix it

1. Wear flat, grippy shoes. A flat rubber sole grips the floor better than a soft, worn trainer.
2. Bring your feet back toward your hips so the push goes down into the floor and back into the bench.
3. Push the floor away and spread it. Think about driving your heels (or the balls of your feet) down and slightly outward.
4. Use a rubber floor or mat under the feet if the platform is slick.
5. Raise the floor if you are short. Blocks or plates stacked flat under the feet help shorter lifters plant, as long as they are stable. Check your federation's rules for competition.

Feet vs back: two different slips

Many lifters fix their feet and then find their upper back now slides up the bench, because the leg drive finally reaches the bench. That is the other half of the problem. Every fix for it is in how to stop sliding on the bench press; when the pad is the cause, an Odyssey Bench Mat lays flat on the bench and holds your upper back in place.

Full setup walkthrough: bench press setup, upper back and leg drive.